Monthly Archives: March 2009

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At this point it would take a big stumble for the Bearcats to drop from the top spot. Not only has Jiovanni Mier been on fire, but pitcher Nico Calderaro is putting together another terrific season. As long as they keep playing with something to prove, they will prove their worth when it matters. Bishop Amat climbs back to No. 2 with a four-game win streak, but lets see how they do this afternoon against St. Paul. San Dimas makes the biggest leap to No. 3 after knocking off mentally fragile Northview, who at No. 4 is their lowest ranking in two years. Damien, Diamond Bar and Glendora are bunched together in the middle of the pack, and the more I look at the list, the more I believe the parity is closer than ever with Charter Oak at No. 10.

Baseball top ten rankings1. Bonita (7-1) - Not world-beaters but developing that repuation with a No. 3 ranking in the Times. Sure they had to rally to beat Charter Oak, but that’s what driven senior-laden teams do, they find a ways to win.2. Bishop Amat (6-3) – Here they come, after a 2-2 start they’ve won four straight. Once they stop giving up all the unearned runs, the Lancers will be fine. They still have seasoned pitching and are batting well enough to win games.3. San Dimas (6-2) - Yes, the Saints moved to 3-0 in the Valle Vista with last week’s 9-6 win over Northview. When you consider their only losses have come against Bonita and Chino Hills, the Saints deserve to move up the board. They have won three straight and five of six.4. Northview (6-2) - The Vikings are finding out that you can’t lose seniors like Marc Andrade, Aaron Elias and Robert Williams, and pick up where you left off. They have the tools, but the swagger is missing. Not good with the National Classic on deck.5. Diamond Bar (6-3) - One of the hottest teams at the moment, the Brahmas are the only 3-0 team in the Sierra after beating Glendora, Ayala and Chino.6. Damien (5-2) – They beat Ayala, lose to Glendora, which is no surprise considering the Sierra League grind. But this is true, the Spartans are playing well and figure to be fighting for a league title at the end.7. Glendora (6-3) – The Tartans rebound from a league opening loss to Diamond Bar with big wins over Damien and Chino Hills to move to 2-1 in league. If they can take care of Chino and Ayala next, they will be sitting pretty.8. Nogales (10-3) - The 8-7 loss to Walnut might eventually hurt their chances of knocking off seven-time champion South Hills, but no arguing how much they’ve improved under legendary coach John Romano.9. South Hills (5-4) – Forget their record, they’ve won four of five are and are improving by the week. Whatever off-field distractions they had early in the season are becoming a distant memory.10. Charter Oak (7-5) - Had won five straight before loss to Bonita and split with Claremont on Saturday. They feel like one of those teams who can beat anyone, but certainly, they’re no lock to beat anyone either.

Los Altos and Glendora are still the top two teams respectively, but they will be challenged when Los Altos goes to Charter Oak this afternoon and Glendora takes on Bishop Amat in a non-league game on Thursday. Bonita is a solid No. 3 and seems to be finding their mojo again, but let’s see how they do against much improved Walnut today. Keep an eye on Siera Vista and Walnut, if they keep winning, they will continue to climb up the polls.

Girls Softball top ten rankings1. Los Altos (8-3) – Went 3-1 in the Northwood Timberwolves Classic, losing to Dana Point, and a non-league loss to Ayala. But locally, they still haven’t been touched but get another Miramonte test this week against surging Charter Oak.2. Glendora (5-2) – Unless there are games on the schedule we don’t know about, they Tartans haven’t played since their 3-0 loss to Etiwanda in the championship of the San Dimas tournament. But they get Bishop Amat on the road next.3. Bonita (11-2) - Hard to believe all the bickering on the blogs about the Bearcats, they’re off to a terrific start, and only have lost to the top two teams in the area. After losing a heartbreaker to Los Altos, they rebounded by winning four straight.4. Bishop Amat (7-5) – Sure they Lancers have lost three of their last four, but losing to Rosary, Mater Dei and splitting a doubleheader with Santa Margarita is nothing to worry about. Let’s see how they do in a big nonleague game against Glendora on Thursday.5. San Dimas (6-3) - Are they finished with their traditional slow-starting ways? The surprise isn’t that they already have started 2-0 in the Valle Vista, the surprise is how they snuck past Covina and Northview to get there.6. Charter Oak (8-3) – What you need to know about the Chargers is that they have scored 90 runs, but 34 of those runs came in a sweep over Wilson. Still, they have won six straight, though they do no have an impressive win on their resume … yet.7. Sierra Vista (7-1) – After a season-opening loss to Montebello, the Dons have won seven straight. They should win at least their next five then enter the Charter Oak tournament, where we will find out just what they’re made of.8. Walnut (6-2) – With San Antonio league wins over South Hills, Nogales and West Covina, the Mustangs are off to a great start and will face Bonita in a fun non-league game this week. The way they’ve played, it won’t be a surprise if they run the table in the San Antonio.9. Northview (5-4) - I don’t know what’s more impressive, what the Vikings did last year with Hannah Fraijo, or what they’ve been able to accomplish without her. For a team with no expectations, they barely lose to San Dimas, 1-0.10. South El Monte (4-3) -They haven’t played since March 23, but resume with a game against La Puente and a doubleheader on Saturday against Cantwell Sacred Heart before resuming Mission Valley league play next week.

The area track leaders submitted to EPI sports can be found by clicking the thread.Next Up: On Saturday, the 18th Annual Covina Invitational will take place at Azusa Pacific University. the meet starts at 8 a.m., and the event is at 6:30 pm. Of the 40+ schools attending, local schools competing are: Ayala, Azusa, Baldwin Park, Bassett, Bonita, Charter Oak, Chino, Covina, Damien, Diamond Ranch, El Monte, Gabrielino, Ganesha, Glendora, Maranantha, Monrovia, Mountain View, Northview, Pasadena, Pomona, Rowland, San Dimas, South Hills, St. Lucy’s, Temple City, Walnut, West Covina, Western Christian, and Wilson. The meet will also host Silverado and Green Valley HS from Nevada. Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for 12 under.

“This meet provides a great mid season opportunity for athletes to prep for bigger meets ahead like Arcadia and the Mt. Sac Relays. The team competition should also be close on the boys and girls side. It’s going to be a fun day of track.” Meet Director – Kevin GlaspyTo view leaders, click thread

Anything and anyone you want to talk about
Back from blog R&R and wondering what happened this past week that I should know about? You can help your favorite sportswriter by nominating boys and girls athletes of the week and explaining which games desperately need to be covered, but in the meantime, does it get any better for Bonita baseball? Seriously, No. 3 in last week’s L.A. Times poll? They might climb to No. 1 if they keep this up. And some of you had the audacity to question our No. 1 ranking. Just follow along folks, we know what we’re talking about, um, except when it comes to Bishop Amat and Northview. Don’t send the hate mail, you know I’m just Tribbin.

Above: Bonita’s Brian Tuttle, center, celebrates with his Bearcats teammates after scoring the winning run in a 2-1 victory over Charter Oak

Bonita 2, Charter Oak 1: Maybe Bonita High School is a team of destiny this season.
The Bearcats looked the part Friday.
Jiovanni Mier hit a homerun in the sixth to to tie the score and Brian Tuttle scored on a wild pitch in the seventh as top-ranked Bonita rallied for a 2-1 victory over visiting Charter Oak.
Nico Calderaro tossed a one-hitter and struck out two to improve to the 3-1.
Tuttle went 2 for 3 for the Bearcats, who improved 7-1 overall and 3-0 in the Miramonte League. Joe Reynoso (2-2), who gave up four hits and struck out, was the tough-luck loser for the Chargers, who slipped to 6-4 and 3-1.
Tuttle let off the seventh with a single. Travis Santiago, who replaced Reynoso, then struck out Calderaro before pinch-hitter Evan Highley singled off shortstop Danny Tiffany’s glove. Tuttle and Highley then advanced following a wildpitch before Tuttle scored on a second wild pitch to win it.Bonita coach John Knott: “We always tell them it’s one pitch at time. If you have a bad at-bat, flush it and root for the next guy. I think the kids stayed in the game. They didn’t put their heads down. We stayed in the game, played defense and Nico pitched a hell of game.
It was fun game. It was intense, every pitch mattered and we got a huge hit from Jiovanni, which allowed us to relax a bit. We’ll take it.”Charter Oak coach Tom Quinley: “(Santiago) is going to be a good one. The ball just got away. It was a good curveball, (Jeff Gelalich) swung at it, but it bounced and ricocheted away.”Other Scores
Del Rey League
Bishop Amat 8, Bishop Montgomery 5Mission Valley League
Gabrielino 19, El Monte 7
South El Monte 13, Rosemead 1San Antonio League
South Hills 11, Nogales 1Nonleague
West Covina 6, La Puente 1
Linfield 6, Western Chr. 5

Above: San Dimas’ Josh Leyland celebrates after hitting a tying home run on Thursday.

SAINTS TAKE STAGE 1: San Dimas fell behind 4-0, then rallied to score a 9-6 victory over the Vikings in the battle for supremacy in the Valle Vista League. Kevin Ponzo survived a rough start to get the win. Josh Leyland hit a home run to tie the score and Tim Brookes and Aaron Orona had key hits to push the Saints over the top.San Dimas coach Mike Regan: “For one time this year, my guys fought back. We haven’t fought back at all. Today, we showed heart. At the beginning we made errors and we gave away four runs. When people have thrown up leads on us, we haven’t fired back.”Northview coach Darren Murphy: “Ponzo did what we didn’t. He stopped the bleeding. When you give up a couple of runs, you stop it. If they get to three, it can’t go to four and he did a good job of leaving it there. He had that one bad inning but he gave his team a chance to win.”Other area baseball scoresMontview League
Azusa 13, Bassett 3
Gladstone 6, Sierra Vista 3
La Puente 8, Duarte 5Sierra League
Diamond Bar 4, Chino 3
Glendora 7, Chino Hills 3Softball Scores
Miramonte League
Bonita 16, Wilson 0Montview League
Sierra Vista 19, Duarte 3
Workman 11, Bassett 10San Antonio League
Nogales 7, South Hills 1Nonleague
Mater Dei 7, Bishop Amat 0Boys Track
Mission Valley League
Rosemead 78, South El Monte 57Montview League
La Puente 82, Gladstone 36Nonleague
Rowland 83, Wilson 44Girls Track
Mission Valley League
Rosemead 91, South El Monte 44Montview League
Gladstone 65, La Puente 50Nonleague
Rowland 73, Wilson 54

Lets call it a Melendez Invasion. Freddy’s gone but I’m going to barge in here for a sec and post the Tribune All-Star rosters. For the record, I selected the Star-News roster, so it’s safe to say the Tribune’s run of winning the girls game is all but over!

Above: Walnut’s Devyn Craine delivers a pitch during Wednesday’s
San Antonio League game at Nogales. The Mustangs scored
a 2-0 victory.

Walnut 2, Nogales 0: Lauren Gomez had an RBI single in the seventh and was solid in relief to lead as the Mustangs took sole possession of first place in the San Antonio League.
Gomez gave up just one hit and struck out four in four innings to improve to 3-2. Walnut is now 5-2 and 2-0. Nogales, which had runners in scoring position with less than two outs in the first and third innings, slipped to 4-6 and 1-1.Walnut coach Jennifer Cuevas: “For whatever reason, and I was joking (with the players) abou this, it seems to be a Walnut thing (to rally late). We always want to wait until the very last minute. I don’t know if its the pressure that gets to them and the adrenaline helps them, but we just seem to come through. They just do it. I think they just strive on making us (coaches) sweat it out.”Nogales coach Tim Purcell: We couldn’t get that execution going. We were one base hit from scoring four runs (today). I just told my girls to keep it simple, keep your head up. We play them twice again, and we’ll be ready for them.”Other Scores
San Antonio League
West Covina 4, Rowland 0Valle Vista
Northview 25, Baldwin Park 1
San Dimas 4, Covina 1

Above: Jimmy Saucedo, seen here pitching against Gabrielino last season, tossed a four-hit shutout to lead South El Monte past Mountian View on Wednesday.

Walnut 8, Nogales 7
I covered the Walnut at Nogales softball game, which Walnut scored two runs in the seventh to win, 2-0. After, I trotted over the baseball game, and watched the end as the Mustangs held off the Nobles, 8-7. Nogales athletic director Bruce Alley told me Walnut got up 8-0 before Nogales rallied. The Nobles got one runner on in the seventh, but they were unable to advance him and dropped the one-run decision.South El Monte 7, Mountain View 0
Jimmy Saucedo tossed a four-hit shutout and struck out six to lead the Eagles.Other Scores
Miramonte League
Charter Oak 10, Wilson 0
Bonita 24, Diamond Ranch 6Nonleague
Western Christian 21, Morningside 3

It’s still Los Altos: Los Altos solidified its hold on the top spot with a steady, 6-4 victory over Bonita. Glendora, which is off until the day after April Fools Day, stays at No. 2 while Bishop Amat enjoys a big win with the Arroyo Tournament championship and moves into No. 3. Bonita slides a bit to No. 4, with San Dimas rounding out the top 5. Azusa drops out after a three-game losing streak, which puts South El Monte back in.

This week’s big games:Wednesday: Walnut at NogalesFriday: Northview at San Dimas

Top 10 Rankings
1. Los Altos (5-2) - The Conquerors lived up to their name with a 6-4 win at Bonita last week before splitting a pair of tournament games. Los Altos looks to have a firm hold on the top spot with Diana-lynn Patterson in the circle.2. Glendora (5-2) – The Tartans have yet to capture the momentum, but it was the same last season, until a late-season run to the finals.3. Bishop Amat (6-3) – The Lancers lived up to the billing by winning the Arroyo Tournament before looking respectable in a 3-2 loss to Rosary on Monday. Next up: Mater Dei.4. Bonita (9-2) - The Bearcats gave Los Altos a run of its money, and it wouldn’t surprise most if they pulled off the upset in the rematch, except for the Conquerors.5. San dimas (4-3) – The Saints look to take the quick lead in the Valle Vista League when they host Northview on Friday.6. St. Lucy’s (7-5) - The Regents looked lost in a 10-0 loss to San Dimas, but fought back to get a split with a 1-0 victory. This team looks capable of making a run for the title in the Sierra League.7. Charter Oak (6-3) - The Chargers have the best-hitting team in the area, and there are times when the pitching does come around. The key is consistency. 8. Northview (4-3) - The Vikings have looked steady, but they get a major test against San Dimas on Friday.9. Sierra Vista (4-0) - The Dons, who were impressive last year, again look like the team to beat in the Montview League.10. South El Monte (4-3) - Reina Gaber and the Eagles are finding their rhythm.

Top 10 Rankings: Bonita continues to be the team beat, keeping the foot on the floor with victories over intra-district rival San Dimas and Los Altos. Northview continues to hold onto the second spot, but we have a few shuffling through the rest of the field as Damien moves up to No. 3 after a big win over Chino Hills. Nogales rides the arm of Andrew Melchor to No. 4, while Glendora, Bishop Amat and San Dimas drop a few positions. The rest of the top 10 is rounded out by Diamond Bar, South Hills and new entry Charter Oak.

Games to watch:Today: Baldwin Park at Northview; Glendora at Damien;Wednesday: Walnut at NogalesThursday: San Dimas at NorthviewFriday: Charter Oak at Bonita

Top 10 Rankings
1. Bonita (5-1) – It seems to be a two-race battle between the Bearcats and Vikings, and my gut says Northview is the better club, but Bonita, after being moved to No. 1 last week, did nothing to drop, and I won’t penalize the Bearcats after a good win over San Dimas. The big game is Friday against Charter Oak.2. Northview (5-1) – The Vikings just continue to roll. They had the one hiccup against Claremont, but toyed with Pomona last week in going 2-0 for the week. They get to test Baldwin Park today before taking on San Dimas on Thursday. 3. Damien (4-1) – The Spartans showed they are for real. It wasn’t that they beat Chino Hills, but how easily. Now they get renew their rivalry with Glendora.4. Nogales (7-2) – Andrew Melchor is as good as it gets from the hill, and he proved it with a solid outing in a 2-1 victory over South Hills. The Nobles now need to take care of business.5. Glendora (4-3) – It was a tough week for the Tartans, who were hammered by Diamond Bar, then split with Don Lugo, and it’s not like the Conquistadors still have Chad Cordero.6. Bishop Amat (4-3) – The Lancers took a major hit, being whitewashed by Chatsworth before following with victories over Cantwell and Southgate.7. San Dimas (4-2) - The Saints get to prove their worth when they face Northview on Thursday.8. Diamond Bar (4-3) - The Brahmas, who have given the Valley some of its most-talented players over the years, showed they are capable of challenging in the Sierra League with a big win over Glendora. But it gets tougher with a home encounter against Ayala today.9. South Hills (4-4) - The Huskies split two games with Nogales in a week where they could have been 2-0 or 0-2. They get a test on Friday against Walnut.10. Charter Oak (5-3) – Welcome back, Chargers! Charter Oak showed its ready to defend its crown with a sweep of Diamond Ranch. But a matchup against top-rated Bonita awaits on Friday.

There was a time when baseball was America’s game. But judging by the recent World Baseball Classic, which tonight concludes with a championship tilt featuring Korea vs. Japan, the sport may have passed the U.S. by.
How else would you explain Japan’s convincing 9-4 victory over Team USA on Sunday. I heard former New York Mets general manager and ESPN commentator Steve Phillips say in an interview on ESPN Radio that if there were no major leagues and you had a season of world baseball, the U.S. would be competitive, but they would not be the best team.
He also said that today foreign players make up 28 percent of MLB rosters and he wouldn’t be surprised if within 10 years that number is up to more than 50 percent.
Yes, the times are a changin.’

Above: Jose Reynoso, and the rest of the Charter Oak Chargers
take on Bonita on Friday.

The league schedule in baseball begins in earnest this week, with several big games on the docket. Those inlcude Northview hosting upstart Baldwin Park on Tuesday; Glendora taking on rival Glendora, also on Tuesday and Bonita against Charter Oak on Friday.
Who do you see as the big games, and what games should we cover?

Just when baseball and softball is taking off, I’m taking off for a week. I have to do it, the golf game is struggling and finally, I get a week away from the blog. Starting tomorrow, Stevie Ramirez will take over for a week, it’s his top ten’s, his games to choose, so enjoy. The boys basketball all-area team comes out on tuesday, girls basketball on wednesday and girls water polo on thursday. Boys and girls soccer and wrestling is the following week. The rosters for the Tribune/Star-News All-Star Classic on April 4. will be released later in the week. Fore!

Anything and anyone you want to talk about
The Catholic Association Members by a vote of 16-7, approved the revamped Serra League for 2010. The best thing about it? Three teams are guaranteed playoff spots. The Mission League is also below.

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